THE KAGISO TRUST STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION MODEL

the prospect of a better future for all

written by Paul Smith

Makana Municipality is a microcosm of many small towns in SA, a place with significant socioeconomic potential, but suffering the consequences of stakeholder and community polarization. Over the past few weeks, the Makana Municipality has witnessed the consequences of dissatisfied communities protesting for better service delivery from the municipality. This protest is one of several attempts by the local community to hold the municipality accountable for inadequate service delivery, including an ongoing legal battle to dissolve the Makana Council.

The relationship between the municipality and community is at an all-time low while community solidarity towards the service delivery cause grows as business, communitybased organisations and communities collaborate against the state. This is not a unique response; we have seen it all before. For Makana, the service delivery issues and associated protests go back many years, an attempt to hold government accountable. This type of action, as with many other communities in South Africa, has had little positive impact on the desperate quality of life experienced by the communities. The question is: are these types of actions ever going to bring about the change we desire? History would indicate that protests and litigation create heightened awareness about issues, but do not necessarily result in meaningful change. So, what is the right approach?

Kagiso Trust has focused on projects and approaches that enable sustainable systemic change within government departments and communities, and in doing so they have developed a model which encompasses the three Cs: communication, collaboration, and cooperation.

Makana Municipality is one such project. In Makana, KT has gone about supporting local stakeholders in creating an environment where communication, collaboration and cooperation amongst all stakeholders is encouraged to solve local socioeconomic issues. Adopting this collaborative approach has been difficult for many stakeholders. Communities are frustrated with time consuming processes and rather just want to see changes and local government has not mastered community centricity and collaboration. But change will not materialise if relationships are not mended, and a common purpose adopted by all.

The Makana Circle of Unity (MCU) was established with the shared vision of creating “a great place to be” for all citizens. The MCU provides communities with an opportunity to collaborate, reignite creative problem solving, and to generate innovative ideas that promote socio-economic development in the region. This community-led process has enabled the formation of various functional clusters who generate ideas, co-create solutions, and implement projects that enable positive change. Many of these ideas start off messy and abstract but these are the green shoots of creative thinking, building bridges, and amplifying community voices for a common purpose.

The MCU is a registered NPO still in its infancy and does not yet enjoy the support of all stakeholders. Yet Kagiso Trust believes in this community collaboration model as it places local development in the hands of community and solicits government support to implement the change required. Kagiso Trust will continue to work with the early adopters and through impact evidence attract the naysayers to join the coalition and become part of a sustainable solution.

Despite all the imperfections, the MCU structure has been an effective response mechanism that has supported marginalised communities during Covid-19. Collective civic mobilization and coordination of support activities enabled marginalised families to cope with the harsh reality of the pandemic. The prospect and potential impact of fully-fledged civic coalitions and a committed capable collaborative state for South African small towns, is an exciting opportunity for both communities and municipalities. Placing socio-economic development back into the hands of community will provide the best prospect of delivering the change that the community desires.

Kagiso Trust believes that the stakeholder collaboration model developed in Makana, provides other municipalities and communities a tested alternative way to engage, and the mechanisms to eradicate poverty. We look forward to sharing our insights and views with other municipalities, government departments and civil society organisations as we strive to enable a better future for all.